Top 10 Largest Airlines in the World 2023

Flying in top-notch airlines was a distant daydream just over a century ago. Now, over 2.6 million people transit to the skies of the United States every day on over 46,000 flights. This has been mainly possible with so many large airlines being available. Being large, these airlines are able to carry several flyers in one. In a way, airlines like Ryanair, and EasyJet, have also ensured that more people reach their destinations in less time.

In this blog, we will talk about Top 10 largest airlines in the world and their most well-known characteristics. The airlines fleet size and passenger capacity are the most important characteristics among these. 

The Top 10 Biggest Airlines in the World 2023 have been introduced in our blog:

What is the Top 10 Largest Airline in the World 2023 as per their Fleet Size?

Delta Airlines is among the biggest airline in the world in terms of fleet size and passengers carried. When it comes to the other characteristics of these carriers, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines also rank among the largest ones. The number of places they cover and the volume of passengers they transport are the reasons behind this.

A total of 10 airports fit under this classification. Continue reading more about the 10 Biggest Airports in the United States.

Delta Airlines

Revenue: $50.582 billion

Founded in: 1925
Based in: Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Alliance: SkyTeam
Owned by: Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Number of countries served: 52
Number of yearly passengers: ~ 125 million

Official Website

Regarding assets and aircraft movements, Delta Airlines is the best air operator in the world. Approximately 183,700,000 visitors travel from this airline throughout the year. Also, it has been included in the air carriers that have the largest airline fleet, with over 894 aircraft flying every year. 

Delta’s headquarters are in Atlanta, and it has eight hubs that operate approximately 5,400 flights every day. It visits 325 locations over 52 countries and six continents. Not only this, the airline is big enough to support a multitude of ticketing options too.

Speaking further, as these reviews mention, great customer satisfaction over the years is another reason that makes Delta worthy of growing big. For the satisfaction of customers additionally, policies like the Delta Airlines baggage policy are also made.

The airline believes in growing even when certain customers decide not to continue their trips at times. To understand them better in these instances, the operator has made the Delta Airlines cancellation policy.

Southwest Airlines

Revenue: $23.8 billion

Founded in: 1967
Based in: Dallas, Texas, USA

Alliance: None
Owned by: Southwest Airlines Co.

Number of countries served: 11
Number of yearly passengers: ~ 123 million

Official Website

Let us now talk about another air carrier that has been among the biggest airlines in the world in 2023. Southwest Airlines is recognized as the best low-cost air operator and also ranks third in its passenger capacity. It can carry around 151,800,000 travelers on a yearly basis.

Even when some of them may use the Southwest cancellation policy in some situations, the number of travelers despite this is surprising.Southwest now offers 4000 daily departures to 100 locations across the United States during peak season.

To give you an idea of how many domestic flights Southwest runs, the airline offers between 224 and 250 flights each day. A Southwest plane departs for these locations every 5 minutes or less. The most astonishing aspect is its airline fleet which consists of 750 planes that travel per year.

In addition to all of these, the availability of and values indicated by flight reservation, Southwest baggage policy, Southwest flight change, and other such policies further show the massive operations of the airline.

United Airlines

Revenue: $ 40.03 billion

Founded in: 2010
(as a merger between United Air Lines & Continental Airlines)
Based in: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Alliance: Star Alliance
Owned by: United Airlines Holdings, Inc.

Number of countries served: 74
Number of yearly passengers: ~ 105 million

Official Website

Headquartered in Chicago, United Airlines is the oldest air operator serving the United States of America. It has been serving the United Nations since 1926. Earlier, it was known by the name Varney Air Lines. It is in the top 10 largest airlines in the world based on its travel routes and fleet size.

Every year, its fleet of 777 airplanes transports 143,200,000 people to their ultimate destinations. The United Airlines baggage policy indicates its amazing ability to transport a large quantity of luggage.

In terms of its additional details, this airline runs eight main hubs across the globe. The most crucial hub is Chicago-O’Hare, with the most flights and passengers.

This airline is adept when it comes to handling customer traffic. Not just this, it is the most understanding carrier in situations wherein the flyers don’t wish to continue with their bookings. This is seen with the creation of the United Airlines cancellation policy.

Ryanair

Revenue: $6.4 Billion

Founded in: 1984
Based in: Dublin, Ireland

Alliance: Star Alliance
Owned by: Ryanair Holdings plc

Number of countries served: 40
Number of yearly passengers: ~ 14.24 million

Official Website

Serving a world record of 1,831 destination routes, Ryanair ranks 6th among the largest airlines in the world by fleet size. The company’s fleet comprises 439 planes, the majority of which are Boeing 737-800s that can fly to 225 locations around Europe, North Africa, as well as the Middle East.

Ryanair has a big staff for looking after travelers and ensuring the safety of their bags as per the Ryanair baggage policy.

Regarding scheduled travelers, Ryanair is Europe’s largest low-cost carrier. It has also transported more passengers around the world than any other airline. As per the Ryanair cancellation policy, the operator may cancel some trips on its end. Even then, it helps numerous travelers to fly to different locations.

China Southern Airlines

Revenue: $16.6 billion

Founded in: 1988
Based in: Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Alliance: None
Owned by: China Southern Air Holding Company

Number of countries served: 40
Number of yearly passengers: ~ 110 million

Official Website

Let us move to our next option the biggest airline fleet in the world. China Southern Airlines has grown to become Asia’s largest airline, with a fleet of 611 aircraft, earnings, and passengers transported. This is one of the newest airlines on our list, with 84,900,000 passengers flying each year.

The data gathered via the China Southern Airlines baggage policy hints at the number of bags and things safely moved from one location to the other. In addition, it flies to over 200 locations which is the best part of this airline. Apart from all these points, it is also known to be conducting approximately 2000 flights each day. 

China Eastern Airlines

Revenue: $8.00 Billion

Founded in: 1988
Based in: Shanghai, China

Alliance: SkyTeam
Owned by: China Eastern Air Holding Company

Number of countries served: 41
Number of yearly passengers: ~ 80 million

Official Website

China East Airlines is based in Shanghai and is well-known for carrying tons of travelers. This air operator serves approx. 80,900,000 passengers every year. In accordance with the China Eastern Airlines baggage policy, these passengers are able to travel with luggage equaling an enormous quantity.

The sole purpose of the carrier is to serve only East Asian countries. However, it now flies to 248 national, international, and regional destinations. The present stated goal of this largest airline in the world is to increase the national air travel connecting Shanghai and other important Chinese locations.

China Eastern Airlines has a fleet of 577 aircraft, most of which are Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Airbus A320-200, which is mainly used for internal routes, is the foundation of this company’s standard fleet.

EasyJet

Revenue: £1.47 Billion

Founded in: 1995
Based in: Luton, England, UK

Alliance: Star Alliance
Owned by: Stelios Haji-Ioannou

Number of countries served: 34
Number of yearly passengers: ~ 69.7 million

Official Website

Revealing what is the biggest airline company in the world in terms of carrying passengers, let us read about EasyJet airline. The Luton-based airline is Europe’s second-largest economy carrier and the world’s ninth-largest carrier in fleet size and passengers carried.

The airline may see EasyJet flight cancellations several times in a year. But talking about its passenger capacity, nearly 73,100,000 flyers travel from this air carrier yearly. EasyJet has a fleet of 320 planes that travel to 136 locations in 30 countries. With more than 1,000 itineraries and functional services like the EasyJet baggage policy, the firm offers both international and local flights.

This airline is the most recent addition to our ranking as it has recently increased its fleet size. It was founded by a British Cypriot businessman 24 years ago.

Turkish Airlines

Revenue: $16.96 Billion

Founded in: 1933
Based in: Istanbul ,Turkey

Alliance: Star Alliance
Owned by: The Turkish government

Number of countries served: 124
Number of yearly passengers: ~ 45 million

Official Website

Flying across 124 countries on six continents, Turkish Airlines transports approximately 62,800,000 passengers each year. In terms of passenger destinations, it is the largest airline in the world. Being a branch of the Ministry of National Defense, this airline was founded in 1933, having a fleet of two 5-seat, two 4-seat, and one 10-seat aircraft.

It was then converted to a domestic carrier. After 1945, the airline began to operate worldwide. With regard to the other aspects as well, this one is a growing airline. It has extended its features to incorporate the Turkish Airlines cancellation policy and more. 

These efforts have resulted in progressive growth in the number of flight destinations, giving Turkish Airlines the world’s top spot today. Moreover, with the addition of the Turkish Airlines baggage policy, the carrier has enabled flyers to have more reasons to choose it. Thus, they can feasibly plan long trips with the carrier and take along their luggage as they require.

Lufthansa

Revenue: $16.8 Billion

Founded in: 1953
Based in: Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Alliance: Star Alliance
Owned by: Deutsche Lufthansa AG

Number of countries served: 77
Number of yearly passengers: ~ 50 million

Official Website

Situated in Frankfurt, Lufthansa runs a large network of regional routes with Germany and Europe. This airline has a fleet of 291 aircraft commanding 220 destinations in the world. In addition, Lufthansa was the first European airline to be awarded the prestigious Skytrax 5-star rating in 2017. 

Looking at the largest airlines in the world by fleet size comparison, Lufthansa stands in the 10th position. It is also known as the largest air operator due to its massive number of employees. The Lufthansa Airlines baggage policy, in a way, points out their efficiency to aid various flyers in traveling.

Though this COVID-19 Pandemic has badly hit the aviation industry, this airline’s commercial fleet derived most of its revenue in 2020 by offering high-density cargo transportation services.

Owing to the Lufthansa cancellation policy, the flyers also get the choice to cancel their flights due to any reason. This has been impressive enough to give them the flexibility to travel as they like. By availing of such flexibility, Turkish has become a widely-chosen carrier, hence, attaining more growth.

Air France

Revenue: $7.1 billion

Founded in: 1933
Based in: Tremblay-en-France, Ile-de-France, France

Alliance: SkyTeam
Owned by: Air France-KLM S.A.

Number of countries served: 93
Number of yearly passengers: ~ 25 million

Official Website

Air France-KLM is the next big airline in the world, transporting millions of travelers each year. It holds assets worth €30 billion. Moreover, it is run by a team of more than 86,000 employees. 

Aside from this aspect, it is astonishing that Air France-KLM Airlines has access to 300+ destinations. This indicates its wide connectivity and also why people prefer it for most of their travel plans, according to Air France KLM Airlines reviews.

In addition, the airline is notable for its policies too. The Air France KLM baggage policy comes with much flexibility. The same holds true for flight modification, check-in, and other policies. 

Conclusion

As stated in this blog, Delta, United, Southwest, etc., are measured as the largest airlines in the world as per their fleet size. From Ryanair to EasyJet, the page enlisted the best features of these airlines to understand how large they are. It is believed that this blog will be helpful to you and that you will now use this information to enhance your trips. 

Which airline did you find the most impressive in terms of its fleet size? Don’t forget to tell us in the comment section below.